1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device.
2. Related Background Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-135656 discloses a solid-state imaging device including an interline CCD architecture section. This solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of charge detection circuits each for converting a charge output from a charge transfer CCD to a voltage signal and a horizontal scanning circuit for sequentially reading out voltage signals output from these charge detection circuits. The horizontal scanning circuit is formed by a CMOS circuit to perform a high-speed readout operation.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-19664 discloses a solid-state imaging device including an interline CCD architecture section. This solid-state imaging device includes a pixel array region for which a plurality of photoelectric conversion units are arrayed into rows and columns, vertical CCDs arranged for each of the columns of the pixel array region, transfer electrodes arranged for each of the rows of the pixel array region, and a vertical drive circuit for driving the transfer electrodes so that charges of the photoelectric conversion units are transferred to the vertical CCD and then the charges are vertically transferred in the vertical CCD. Further, at the most downstream side (destination to which a charge is vertically transferred) of each vertical CCD, a circuit for converting a signal charge that has arrived being vertically transferred by the vertical CCD into a voltage signal and a readout circuit for amplifying and holding the voltage signal are provided. The readout circuit is formed by a CMOS circuit, and has amplifier circuits of a number corresponding to the number of columns of the pixel array region and a line memory for holding amplification signals output therefrom.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-152952 discloses an image sensor head to be used for reading of an image. This image sensor head includes a CCD sensor and a control circuit. A CCD sensor chip having the CCD sensor and a C-MOS control chip having the control circuit are mounted on a substrate in a separate manner independently of each other. The CCD sensor chip and the C-MOS control chip are directly connected by a plurality of control signal wires of therebetween. There are provided a plurality of CCD sensor chips, and there are provided a plurality of C-MOS control chips corresponding to the CCD sensor chips.
Pamphlet of International Publication No. WO2008/142968 discloses an image sensor head including a CCD sensor chip. The CCD sensor chips includes a plurality of photodiodes each for converting incident light into a charge to thereby generate a signal charge according to the intensity of that light, a plurality of memories for accumulating and storing signal charges generated by those photodiodes, and a register for reading out and transferring signal charges of the plurality of memories. A signal charge generated by the photodiode is sequentially accumulated in memories neighboring a memory while being transferred from the memory. This image sensor head includes a C-MOS control chip separate from the CCD sensor chip, and these chips are mounted on a substrate independently of each other.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H06-196680 discloses a semiconductor energy detector including a back incident-type CCD. The CCD detects an energy beam such as short-wavelength light.
Japanese Patent No. 3441101 and Japanese Patent No. 4098852 disclose electron tubes including back incident-type CCDs. The CCDs detect electrons emitted from photoelectric surfaces for converting incident light into electrons.
Japanese Patent No. 4173575 discloses an imaging device. In this imaging device, inside a vacuum vessel, there is a built-in photoelectric surface for emitting photoelectrons from a surface opposite to a light incident surface according to incident light and a built-in back incident-type CCD arranged opposed to the photoelectron emitting surface of the photoelectric surface and for detecting as an image a spatial distribution of photoelectrons by a plurality of pixels.